Once Upon a Long Ago
by PrincessIxi
Summary: Blessed with her story telling tongue, Bubblekits spins a tale of the Old Clans. Of a she cat determined to find the truth behind the Lifestar, how even cats can become Zealots, and that it's not about worshipping, but believing


Title: Once upon a Long Ago 

**Genre: **Action/Supernatural/Spiritual

**Paring/s: -**

**Line: '**_For our story lives on in all cats'_

**Author's note: **I really wanted to prove about how the Warriors could become Zealots. Oh, a Zealot, if you don't know, it someone who believes they are superior to others because of their belief in God. I was clicking around my old fictions, and a small clip of Bubblekit's story popped up. It was a very old post on my Warriors guild, and I got inspired to act out the story. Read Demon Unleashed if you want to know more about the ShadowClan cats mentioned at the beginning

* * *

Chainedsoul smiled. "Don't stress. Here," he lent over, and placed some lavender under the apprentices nose. "Give it a good sniff. It will calm you right down. Now, do you want anything? Freshkill, poppy seeds?" he mewed, still smelling her stress. "Do you want me to find, Arrowpaw for you?"

He swished his tail over the clean earth. The dirt here was a lot cleaner than the rest of the camp. It had to be clean. Or the sick and injured cats would pick up bugs. The medicine cat sighed, as Creampaw slowly shook her head.

"Don't worry my brother…" her glowing eyes slid close, and her breathing evened out. Chainedsoul bent down, and started to groom away the matted blood around her neck. The attack had been vicious, and if he hadn't been there to stop it, Creampaw would already been in StarClan. His black ears pricked as loud meowing sounded outside.

"Seeing as there's hardly any warriors round, lets do something to pass the time!" Ripplekit flexed his claws. Chainedsoul tried not to sigh at the sound of the troublesome twins. StarClan for a moments peace!

Ripplekit sprang at his sister. He connected with her side, and they started rolling over and over. Like a silver blur they tumbled in to a corner of the camp.

Bubblekit bent her legs, and kicked Ripplekit off her rib cage. The tom landed heavily on his side, spitting. She hissed, and took a swipe at his face. He backed away; feeling his back hit bushes. Smiling, Bubblekit leaped at him. Ripplekit flattened his body to the ground, and rolled under her. Shocked, she hit the bushes, and flew out of sight.

"Bubble! Are you ok?" He peered in the bushes. He heard a deep growl, and she sprang out of the leaves, pushing him. On their back legs, they grappled, trying to wrestle the other down to the ground. Ripplekit finally pushed his sister to the dirt.

"I want to play something different," she moaned, as Ripplekit let her up. "How about I tell you a story?"

"Ok," he made himself comfy. Chainedsoul puffed out a breath. At least that would keep them quiet. He swiftly dressed the rest of the wound, then settled himself outside the den, looking across at the silver cats.

Bubblekit cleared her throat,

"Long ago, when Silverpelt wasn't in the sky, some of the first of the warriors prowled earth. They didn't know about StarClan, because they were even there yet.

So they believed in the sun. In the morning, it was; the Lifestar, and in the evening, it was; the Bleedingstar, for it seemed to bleed when it setting."

* * *

"Mourningreef, come back!" A rough hiss grated out. A tangerine tipped warrior paused in her exploration. Her racoon patterned face peered back at the old tomcat.

"I wanna watch the Lifestar come up!" she whispered. The rocky pit was quiet, as it was still early morning. The sky was a pallet of deep blues and violets. A soft pink was bleeding out over the horizon. Deep snores of sleeping cats filled up the silence. The elder sniffed.

"Well you can't! It's not aloud, and disrespectful."

"Bu-"

"It's alright, little one. If you want to see it that badly, come with me," Mourningreef gasped. She whirled around, staring up at the bronze Clan leader.

"Woodenstar," the elder sighed in defeat. The tom cat smiled cheerfully, whipping his tail around.

"Come on, let's go see the sights," he purred, easily scaling the wall with practised ease. Mourningreef scrambled up, still not used to the slippery rocks.

"Woodenstar.." she mewed, but was hushed. His sun kissed eyes trailed out to the horizon. A faint glow started to emerge. "Wow!" With a flick, Woodenstar cantered swiftly across the wind beaten more land. Mourningreef, thankful of her long strong legs, caught up. The grass flattened out, and broke off to a sheer drop, over looking an endless forest.

"See, over there," Woodenstar jabbed his sleek tail. "Where that talk oak is, keep your eyes trained," he ordered. Mourningreef curled her tail over her delicate paws. With painful slowness, the Lifestar started to grow bigger. It climbed the sky wearily; it's fur licking at the bluing sky. It expanded, like it was trying to eat up the landscape. Mourningreef's eyes grew like the Lifestar. Her maw opened in a gap.

"Seen enough?" Woodenstar's voice broke the magic. The she-cat jolted.

"Um.. I guess," she whispered, eyes lingering. The solidly built tom cat rose, and lead the way back.

* * *

"_You _got to see the Lifestar rising?!" A sandy she-cat gaped at Mourningreef, a mouse tail hanging from her teeth comically.

"Swallow your meal, Hollyfeather," she sighed, licking her nose. "We see it all the time. I just thought… why can't we never see it coming up?"

"I dunno.. but ain't the Leader, Second in Command and Healers only supposed to see the Lifestar at Birthrise and Deathfall?" Hollyfeather lowered her voice, gulping the rest of her prey down. "It's like… they get their dreams from the Lifestar, right?"

Mourningreef shrugged her furry shoulder. "Well… I don't know what the big deal it. I mean, it's really pretty, but it's so far away! Listen.. how is something like that, compared to something like us, meant to be our God?"

Hollyfeather gasped, covering up Mourningreef's mouth with her tail. "SHUUSH! Oh my Life! Mourningreef, don't speak so freely, you know how everyone is around here. We don't like new ideas."

"You disappoint me, Hollyfeather," frowned Mourningreef, batting away her bothersome tail. "I'm just being realistic. What's so wrong with not believing?"

"I dunno. But we better hurry it up. Crowningleaf's ceremony is about to begin." Mourningreef sighed. The two she-cats padded over to the middle of the sunken pit. A large crowd of cats were already assembled.

"All cat's young and old, gather at the Stone Pit for a Clan meeting!" Yowled Woodenstar. The massive tom sat on a slightly raised, flat rock. A stiff body of a dead cat lay at his paws. The rest of the Clan hobbled out from the cave dens. "We remember Crowningleaf as a brave Fighter," Woodenstar yowled, loud enough for his voice to bounce around the pit. "Unfortunately, he is also remembered for being clumsy. His death was an accident, of slipping down the Stone Pit," a small ripple of amusement broke out. Woodenstar nodded. "Yes, we are sad he is gone, but it's also a time to be happy. To celebrate his life. Roughpelt, Whitestream and Junglestep if you would," Woodenstar jumped down from the rock, as a grainy pelted tomcat, a creamy white, and a blotchy shecat stepped forwards to carry the broken body.

Silently, the Clan filed out of a small gap in the rock face.

"This is my first time at a Death Ceremony," Hollyfeather whispered to Mourningreef.

"And you're excited, how?" The tangerine tabby asked crookedly.

As the cats in front of them halted, they padded their way to find a good spot to see what was happening. They were on a small rocky out ledge. Crowningleaf's body was gently placed on the up most tip of the rocky ledge. The guard of cats backed away. Woodenstar tipped his head to the sky. "Hear me, Lifestar! We offer this noble Fighter, up to you in the heavens! We pray you hear us, and guild this cats to the afterlife safely!"

Each and every cat looked skywards, and opened their jaws in a long, wail.

Mourningreef looked around, every hair on her pelt standing up. It seemed wrong. She did not join in the caterwauls.

* * *

Mourningreef shifted about in her nest, finding it hard to find a comfy spot. "Settle down," a sleepy mew told her.

"Sorry.. fleas," she lied, then quickly stood, and picked her way to the cave entrance. The calming night breeze ruffled her preen fur. She closed her eyes, drinking in the wonderful night. She loved night. Over head, stars blazed in the inky night sky. Her eyes twinkled with their own lights.

"Not tired, little one?" a dreamy voice asked from above. Mourningreef looked up. A long pelted shecat blinked down, one paw dangling off the cliff edge. "I know. Hard to sleep on a perfect night like tonight."

"Yes, Healer," Mourningreef blinked in reply. The silvery she cat was Birchsinger, the Healer. "The sky, it calls to me, so."

"As it does to me," Birchsinger hummed. "If you're planning to wonder, don't stray far," she got up, and walked away from Mourningreef's line of vision. She cocked her head. Did she know what she was planning to do? Shaking the creeps out of her pelt, Mourningreef headed for the rock out crop that held the Death Ceremonies. She was determined to find out; did the Lifestar really take the body up?

Breath quickening, as she drew closer, she closed her eyes, then opened then as she rounded the very last corner.

The body was gone.

* * *

"You did _what?!"_ Hollyfeather spat, sending a few choice birds scattering. Mourningreef sighed in exasperation.

"Why do I bothering telling you these things when you react so violently, anyway!"

Hollyfeather continued like she'd never spoken. "This is… treason! In the highest order. You went onto holy ground, outside of the Ceremony! It's like, the end of the world. What are you gonna do!?"

"If you just shut up, mousebrain! Don't go blabbing to the whole Clan. Honestly. Hollyfeather, I just want to see if the Lifestar really does do as Woodenstar says. Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes."

"No!" Mourningreef frowned at her undesired answer.

"I'm… an accomplice! Oh. My. _Life. _What if you get caught, then I'll be dragged down with you!"

"You won't get caught."

Hollyfeather fretted away. Mourningreef tried not to look at her best friend. She didn't understand. Why couldn't she be free to think what she believed? There was no proof that the Lifestar took the bodies away. Though she hadn't seen a body when she went back last night. It was all very confusing.

"- so that's why it has to be this way," Mourningreef realised Hollyfeather was still prattling on.

"Sorry. What?"

"I said; I don't think we can be friends anymore."

"_What?"_

"Mourningreef.. I know you mean well. But I don't like where this is going. I really like you, and still want to be friends, but I don't think I can. It's scary."

Mourningreef flattened her ears at her friend's cowardice. Then she slowly relaxed, and tenderly gave Hollyfeather a lick on the shoulder. "I know," she murmured. "I'm scared too. It's scary finding out that the world ain't so big anymore, I guess. But I need you to stick with me on this, okay? If I do get caught out, I swear, on the Lifestar, I won't drag you down with me."

Hollyfeather smiled. "That's funny. You don't believe in the Lifestar."

"Oh yes, haha. I suppose then," she tilted her muzzle up. "I swear on … what's really out there, where the stars are."

* * *

"The only problem with executing her plan, was waiting for another death. The plan, obviously, was to wait while the other cat's left, and hide behind some rocks," Bubblekit whispered, dragging in her now growing audience. "Luckily, a prematurely born kit died before the next moon. Again, Woodenstar called out the greeting, and the whole Clan trooped to the rock. As they left the body for the sun, Mourningreef staid behind. Before the sun became the Bleedingstar, she found her answer…"

* * *

Mourningreef's nose hit her paws, making her jolt to a start. Licking her fur flat, she looking around. Some time had passed, and the Lifestar was slowing being devoured by the horizon. Then, she saw it. A black object swooped from the sky, and landed near the body. It hopped from one scaly foot to the other, peering at the body.

Mourningreef tensed, sniffing. Almost gagging, the smell was that bad, she kept hidden. More and more black things appeared, cawing and making enough noise to scare off the dead. Then, something massive jumped the rocks, scattering the black things. Mourningreef's fur shot up, at what she saw. It was grey, shaggy and even bigger than Woodenstar. It was made of teeth and claw, it growled, and sniffed at the body. It opened its jaws, and began to tear at the kit's body. Frozen in horror, the Teethfur snapped as the Blackfeathers tried to get in with a share of meat. The Teethfur made quick work of the little body. Soon it sniffed around for more. It smelt her out. With a wail of fear, she shot off. She didn't hear the Teethfur take chase, maybe the Blackfeathers where satisfying it's hunger!

She tore into the clearing, and stood, panting, as a small crowd come up to her. "It's terrible!" she yowled, tearing out great breathes of fresh out. "There's no Lifestar at all! It's all horrible, horrible monsters, with teeth and claws!"

* * *

"Unfortunately, as much as the she cat appealed to Woodenstar, he wouldn't believe her. He told her they were messengers from the Lifestar, to take away the cat's soul. The shecat yowled that even the most horrid of God would never dispose of the soul like that. When that wouldn't quell her pleas, Woodenstar asked why she was out of bounds. With no answer, apart from more treason, she was sent into exile."

* * *

Dust. Mourningreef coughed out a lung full of hot dust and grit. It scorched her delicate throat. Long passed the forest she had travelled, chased out by the though of Teethfurs snapping at her heels. Now, she had collapsed, no food or water for what seemed like moons on end. The bare landscape seemed to carry on forever. She wearily looked up. A distance tree dotted the other wise deserted patch of sand. Slowly, the tree shrank, and grew closer. It looked oddly feline. Mourningreef titled her head, squinting. Then the tree became a tree again.

Gaining a little strength, the tabby stood up, dragging her paws.

High in the sky, Blackfeathers slowly crawled in the ocean of blue. Hardly bothering with the buzzards, Mourningreef heard a distant voice.

_Come… follow us till the sun dies. Until the stars shine in the sky_

Mourningreef blinked flies out of her eyes. Her Clan, to shallow minded to expand their minds, had turned their backs. Or maybe it was she? Had she really taken one paw out of bounds? Maybe the Lifestar really was all powerful, and was the only thing to worship?

_Follow us. Follow us. The truth lies in what you see_

The truth. She didn't know anymore what the 'truth' was. Everything had gone horribly wrong. The Lifestar didn't seem to be sparing her life now. It beat down as it sunk in the sky, it's ray burning her fur. She was ready to believe in anything but this.

_Here lies what you seek! Open your eyes. Open them!_

She blinked heavily, and suddenly, it was night.

The sky was thriving with bright, white hot stars. They seemed closer than ever. In fact, Mourningreef was sure if she stood on her hind legs, she could tickled them with a forepaw. They glittered down on her, and she raised tired eyes to them. "Help me! I don't know what to believe in anymore!! I'm so lost," she weeped bitterly. In answer, the stars started to dance. They grew, larger than even the Lifestar, swirling, and sparkling like rare jewels. Mouringreef raised her head in disbelieve. There, spinning and twirling, where the faint outlines of cats. Hundreds, upon thousands of cats. They jumped, and span, flicking their tails and paws to an invisible beat. Their pelts sparkled with frost like gems, and they smelt of fire and ice, and wild things of the night. And their eyes. They seemed to radiate joy and happiness. They opened up into some far off land, and untold secrets.

A cat broke away from the dance, eyes smiling. Pure white, he jumped down with a shower of stardust, brushing his fur along Mourningreef's pelt. _Welcome. We are StarClan. We ask not for cats to worship us, but to believe that there is something else out there. Your journey ends here, our story will be lost. But it will be born again. Not for many, many moons, but we will be remembered again. For our story lives on in all cats. Wild, or tame. For we breathe when you breathe, we walk where your paws have trodden, and we give life when kits take their first steps into the sun_

He closed his eyes, and breathed on her. She smiled.

Suddenly, Mourningreef found the strength to jump up and dance to. Faster and faster she dance, laughing, and crying out in joy. Frost lit her paws, and she was lighter than she had ever been in her life..!

"Welcome young one… welcome! We have been waiting for your arrival…."

**

* * *

Not the End, Just the End of the Beginning**


End file.
